Why wild animals as pet won’t work

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

Wild animals as pets aren't supposed to be legal or acceptable

Wild animals as pets aren’t supposed to be legal or acceptable

Granted, you would certainly look twice at the fellow who is walking down the street, hand in hand with his pet chimpanzee … but having wild animals as pets is rarely if ever a good idea.

Most people who bring wild animals into their homes have good intentions, but they are not equipped to accommodate the needs of this animal, which is supposed to live in the wild.

Exotic and wild animals need certain facilities in which to live and require lots of attention from their owner, dedication and expertise, which many wild animal pet owners do not have. Wild pet owners do not generally have the time needed to devote to a wild animal.

The Humane Society is against making pets out of wild animals that were born in the wild as well as those bred in captivity, because it is the rare person who is equipped to take care of these creatures.

Housing a wild animal in your home or in your yard can cause huge problems, even fatal ones, if the animal escapes from his cage and goes on a rampage, harming others in the home or neighborhood.

Humans do not always know what the social needs and nutritional needs of the wild animal are which means these needs go unmet.

Wild animals can pose health risks because they carry parasites and diseases and can seriously injure humans, particularly small children.

If you are considering bringing a wild animal onto your property know in advance that these animals can carry and transmit herpes B virus, which is often found in macaque monkeys. This virus kills humans. Animals also carry rabies and salmonella. Amphibians and reptiles often have salmonella infections which they pass on to their human owners. Between 77 and 90 percent of reptiles have salmonella and most imported green iguanas have some sort of intestinal bacteria.

All kinds of peculiar diseases can occur when wild animals are brought into a domestic situation. The Center for Disease Control reports that in 2003, there was an occurrence of monkey pox, which happened when rodents from Africa were infected with this disease were sold in the pet trade and via native prairie dogs that were also infected and sold as pets.

You can?t domesticate a wild animal simply by bringing him home and putting him in a cage and feeding him. Wild animals don?t need or want your intervention. They know how to survive on their own and much prefer being on their own, in the wild. Because of their centuries’ old inborn instinctive behavior, wild animals are not suitable as pets. Even if you are capable of breeding wild animals in captivity they are still going to be wild. Nothing changes that instinct. Although domesticated animals like being with people and benefit from their relationship with humans, wild animals do not do well with people.

Animals that are accustomed to living in the wild may die in captivity. When that happens, you — the pet owner — are responsible in part for the decline in the population of this particular species.

If you are considering bringing a wild animal onto your property do consider that these animals can carry and transmit herpes B virus, which is often found in macaque monkeys. This virus kills humans. Animals also carry rabies and salmonella. Amphibians and reptiles often have salmonella infections which they pass on to their human owners. Between 77 and 90 percent of reptiles have salmonella and most imported green iguanas have some sort of intestinal bacteria.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) emphasizes that choosing a wild animal for a pet is bad for the pet, bad for the environment and bad for you. Think about how long it took animals to become domesticated (and, even at that, some of them are still capable of being dangerous at times.) It is believed that it may have taken more than 10,000 years for wolves to change into dogs. The transformation did not occur overnight. Keeping that in mind, realize that there are thousands and thousands of years of difference between a domesticated animal and a wild one.

Another issue is trying to find a veterinarian who is skilled in taking care of wild animals. You may have to take your animal to the zoo, and if he?s big, wild and mean how are you going to do that? Can you do it safely?

Wild animals are not likely to bond with their human owners, although there are those that say differently. Wild animals can be unpredictable. We don?t know why they are behaving in certain ways because we don?t understand all there is to know about wild creatures and that?s the way it?s supposed to be. These animals are destined to be wild and not living in a cage in your backyard.

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You and your family are better off having a dog or a cat for a pet because these animals are domesticated and you are able to meet their needs and requirements.

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